Talking Nurses – A friendly voice when you're in a foreign land

Becoming ill while you are abroad can be a daunting experience – you might not speak the language, understand the medical process or know what medication you need to buy. So, just in case you find yourself in this situation, Direct Travel Insurance has introduced a new and unique assistance service, Talking Nurses.

Talking Nurses is a telephone-based service available to all policyholders and gives you access to medical advice from qualified nurses, with doctor support if required, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Services include providing guidance on health problems, information on foreign hospitals and clinics, details of foreign brand names and what your medication is called in the country you are travelling to, and advice for parents travelling with children.

The Talking Nurses service is provided to help with your medical questions, before and during travel, and is complimentary to both our existing and new policyholders.

We went on holiday with our baby daughter for the first time. I was really nervous about what we'd do if something went wrong. I'm so used to having the local nurses nearby. When I heard about Talking Nurses it was reassuring to know there was someone there who could give me advice if required whilst we were away.

I was in Kenya and had an insect bite that became infected. The local doctor gave me a prescription for a drug I'd never heard of. I didn't want to take it without checking what it was. I phoned Talking Nurses and they assured me it was a commonly prescribed antibiotic which has a different name in Kenya and even told me about common side effects that weren't even mentioned by the doctors. After getting the re-assurance I took the drug and the infection cleared up in a few days, I could then go on Safari without any worries.

I was swimming in the sea in Goa when I got stung by a jelly fish. I rang Talking Nurses and they were able to give me the telephone number and address of the local medical centre. It is so reassuring to know that there is somebody there to help when you need it.